April 2017
Urgent action needed to keep satellites safe in orbit
... of uncorrelated objects contains the high area-to-mass (HAMR) objects [15]. Space weathering and satellite aging A modern communications satellite is a complex system involving numerous subsystems that have finite lifetimes due to mechanical wearing...
August 2018
Flouting the rules on satellite registrations
..., UNOOSA should exercise the power of decision-making and dispute resolution. Registration of the Iridium 33 communications satellite, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in September 1997, was accidentally omitted. In February 2009 The Iridium...
January 2019
Preparing for a robotic revolution in Earth orbit
... antennas could provide higher throughput, more precise beam steering, and other advantages to communications satellites. These could be robotically assembled in a tile-like fashion. Even space telescopes could be designed for robotic assembly...
April 2019
The changing economics of space
... and operators. A tough challenge remains in bridging NewSpace approaches with the stringent requirements of old space. Commercial communication satellites are very often unique, each with their own design differences. A one-size-fits-all approach...
April 2019
Building the UK’s first spaceport
..., and potentially as many as 4000 over the next decade. Constellation satellites tend to be small (only a few hundred kg) compared to traditional GEO communication satellites at several tonnes, but many still exceed the capacity of the smallest...
September 2019
Space cybersecurity - why we mustn’t forget the basics
... new economy which, like all new technology, is woefully undefended. Features first, security second. A Tiantong-1 Mobile Communications Satellite was placed in orbit by China’s Long March 3B rocket in August 2016. What is notable in this image...
